The Google Pixel 8 Pro was recently released to much fanfare, being hailed as Google’s best smartphone yet. As expected from a flagship Google phone, the Pixel 8 Pro comes packed with top-of-the-line features and specs. However, it also commands a premium price tag. So is the Google Pixel 8 Pro worth buying? Let’s unveild its pors and cons.
Pros of Buying the Google Pixel 8 Pro
Stunning Display
One of the biggest highlights of the Pixel 8 Pro is its stunning 6.7-inch QHD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display is based on LTPO technology allowing for a variable refresh rate between 1-120Hz for optimum battery efficiency. With vibrant colors, inky blacks, excellent viewing angles, high peak brightness levels, and buttery smooth visuals, the Pixel 8 Pro’s display delivers an exceptional viewing experience whether you’re watching videos, playing games, or browsing content.
Best-in-Class Camera
As expected from a Pixel phone, the Pixel 8 Pro shines when it comes to its cameras. There’s a 50MP main wide camera paired with a 12MP ultrawide lens and a 48MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom capabilities. Photos captured with the Pixel 8 Pro showcase excellent details, vibrant yet natural colors, and great dynamic range. The phone also excels at low light photography thanks to advanced Night Sight capabilities. Videography prowess is top-notch as well, with support for up to 8K 30fps video.
Powerful Performance
Under the hood, the Pixel 8 Pro is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip based on a 4nm manufacturing process. With its octa-core CPU and powerful Adreno 740 GPU, you can expect blazing fast performance whether you’re juggling multiple apps at once or playing graphics-intensive games. The phone also comes with up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. Real-world usage is smooth and fluid thanks to intelligent software optimization by Google.
Long Battery Life
Battery life is another strong suit of the Pixel 8 Pro thanks to its large 5000mAh battery pack. Whether it’s screen-on time, video playback, web browsing or other common tasks – the phone easily lasts over a day of moderate to heavy usage. Extreme battery saver modes can stretch usage time even further. Fast charging support allows you to juice up the battery quickly as well – a 30W charger gets you from 0 to 50% in just 30 minutes.
Latest Software & Regular Updates
The Pixel 8 Pro launches with the latest Android 13 software out of the box. Google’s Pixel phones are the first to get OS updates and security patches. You are assured of at least 5 years of software support on the Pixel 8 Pro. This allows you to access all the latest features, customizations, and security enhancements. The clean, stock Android interface also helps in smooth performance.
IP68 Water & Dust Resistance
With an IP68 rating, the Pixel 8 Pro offers protection from dust ingress as well as water submersion up to 1.5 meters depth for 30 minutes. So you need not worry if the phone gets exposed briefly to water spills or splashes. Just rinse it with fresh water and dry it before use. This gives you peace of mind while using your phone outdoors or near water bodies.
Cons of Buying the Pixel 8 Pro
Expensive
Clearly, the biggest downside to the Pixel 8 Pro is its premium pricing. The base model with 128GB storage starts at $899, going up to $999 and $1,099 for 256GB and 512GB variants respectively. This definitely makes it an expensive investment compared to other flagship Android phones. Cost-conscious buyers may want to consider cheaper alternatives with similar core capabilities.
No Telephoto Zoom Beyond 5x
While the Pixel 8 Pro offers 5x optical zoom with its 48MP telephoto lens, there is no further hybrid or digital zoom support. Other rival phones offer up to 10x or even 100x digital zoom capabilities for extreme long-distance photography. So if you take a lot of photos at concerts, sports events or wildlife, the lack of high zoom support may disappoint.
Face Unlock Missing
After pioneering face unlock capabilities with earlier Pixel phones, Google has done away with the feature in the Pixel 8 Pro. You only get an under-display fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication. While the fingerprint reader is fast and accurate, some users who prefer face unlock for its convenience would consider this an omission. Rival phones still offer secure and advanced face unlock along with in-display fingerprint sensors.
No Official IP Rating for Water Resistance
While Google claims the phone has IP68 dust and water resistance, there is no official IP rating unlike other flagship phones. So there is some ambiguity on how reliable the water protection capabilities are for accidental water damage. The warranty terms also state liquid damage may void your warranty. Those who want unambiguous water protection may find the lack of official IP rating bothersome.
Should You Buy the Google Pixel 8 Pro?
The Google Pixel 8 Pro makes a compelling case as an advanced camera smartphone with powerful performance wrapped in a premium package. Key strengths like its class-leading camera, gorgeous display, long battery life and clean software experience make it a great choice for photography enthusiasts, mobile gamers, and productivity-focused users.
However, its premium pricing may make cost-conscious buyers look for more affordable alternatives with similar capabilities. The lack of high optical zoom capabilities beyond 5x and official IP rating for water protection are other limitations to consider. Still, if you want arguably the best software experience on Android combined with excellent cameras, display, power and battery life – look no further than the Pixel 8 Pro. I sincerelyhope you find this “Is it Worth Buying the Google Pixel 8 Pro? Pros and Cons Unveiled” article helpful.